Remember that your summer reading is due on September 27th and counts as your first test in this course... make it a good one! : - )

We're starting our first unit together, Poe's Short Stories! To begin we'll explore the very "meat and potatoes" of the short story and other various literary elements not only found in short stories, but all facets of literature! Then of course, we will discuss the father of horror....Edgar Allan Poe.

Now Poe was a very interesting man with an even more interesting history. The name Poe brings to mind images of murders and madmen, premature burials, and mysterious women who return from the dead. This versatile writer's work includes short stories, poetry, a novel, a textbook, a book of scientific theory, and hundreds of essays and book reviews. He is widely acknowledged as the inventor of the modern detective story and an innovator in the science fiction genre. Poe's reputation today rests primarily on his tales of terror as well as on his haunting lyric poetry.

Just as the bizarre characters in Poe's stories have captured the public imagination so too has Poe himself. He has been seen as a morbid, mysterious figure lurking in the shadows of moonlit cemeteries or crumbling castles. The mystery surrounding not only the deaths of his multiple wives but of his own from rabies makes him one of the most intriguing authors of all time.

Keep in mind that with every in class reading, there will be vocabulary and comprehension questions for homework. And to keep things interesting, I've devised some fun activities and a video clip for later in the week! : - )